Writer's Workshop

Course:ENGL 320

Summer '02, Second session 

When: MTTHF, 2-5 pm (mandatory master classes on Wednesdays)
Instructor: Paul Eggers
Office: 120 Taylor
Phone: 530-898-5151
e-mail: peggers@csuchico.edu

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Required Texts:

The Pushcart Prize XXV: Best of the Small Presses 2001. 
(paperback). Bill Henderson, editor.Bill Henderson, Editor.

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Course Setup:

1. This workshop course will focus on discussing work written by students in one or more of three major genres: fiction, creative nonfiction, and poetry. We'll assume that everyone has a primary genre and has a solid background in the traditions and craft of that genre. However, crossing genres-poets, for example, may wish to submit fiction or creative nonfiction-is perfectly OK as long as you have a legitimate background in that genre. So if you're not, say, primarily a creative nonfiction writer, but if you have taken a course in which creative nonfiction was featured, or if you've done substantial reading about creative nonfiction, then you're welcome to submit work in that area. If, however, you've never written a mature story before, then this class is not the appropriate venue for your effort, and you should not submit work in that genre. Again, a solid background is expected in the genre(s) you wish to submit in.

A couple of other guidelines: all work should aim at being the type of work that typically appears in serious literary quarterlies or similar venues. In other words, we won't look at sci-fi, humor, romance, children's, Christian, fantasy, or other kinds of "genre writing" (though of course serious and ambitious work can and often does incorporate aspects of genre writing). Also, though book excerpts are allowable, please note that, generally speaking, workshopping is not as effective for excerpted longer works as it is for self-contained pieces.

2. Each member of the workshop is expected to duplicate and distribute work for discussion on a regular basis. Some of this work, perhaps half, should be brought with you; please bring along sufficient copies to pass out to the class on the first day. These should be new or new-ish works; pieces that have been workshopped before are not acceptable unless they have already been substantially revised. We'll work out an informal schedule as we go along, but prose writers should probably figure on workshopping two substantial pieces and poets should probably figure on workshopping six or so poems. Though our time is too compressed to make substantial revision possible in many cases, some kind of revision work is expected. I'll individualize the specifics as we go along.

3. Each piece submitted for workshopping will receive substantial discussion from the class. When discussing others' work, you should make short comments in the text itself as well as produce a half-page summary sheet, typed and single-spaced, signed by you. Along with the author's story or poem, this summary sheet should be given to the author at the conclusion of class discussion. Make two copies of this sheet (see the last paragraph under "Evaluation"). I'll provide you with a handout describing the sorts of comments I'd like to see.

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Evaluation:

We've all heard stories of now-known writers who were told years ago by someone or other that he or she didn't have what it takes. And, sometimes, the felt need to workshop only under-control or known crowd-pleasing products inhibits serious writers from stretching or, as the saying goes, pushing the envelope. This self-imposed constraint can result in timid or tepid writing, a slowdown in development, and the diminishment of the potential quality of a writer's future work.

Let's avoid these impediments to writing growth. Instead, focus on the following: write work that aims to be serious and ambitious; be engaged in all aspects of the workshop; be a courteous, friendly, but demanding reader of others' work; develop a sense of your own personal aesthetic, but be open to work that seems to be influenced by a different kind of aesthetic.

The point of taking the workshop is to grow as a serious writer in terms of 1) the artfulness and ambition of your work, 2) your thoughtfulness and sophistication in discussing the writing of others, in revising your own work, and in dealing with others' critiques of your work. These are also my criteria for the course grade. And of course your daily presence is required.

At the conclusion of the course, I'd like each student to give me a portfolio containing your latest versions of your submitted work, an author's note to the work (details to follow), and copies of the summary sheets that you gave to the authors of workshopped pieces (so make two copies of these summary sheets-one to give to the author and one to include in your final portfolio).

CSU, Chico, Department of English | CSU Chico |
Center for Regional and Continuing Education |
California State University, Chico California 95929-0250   530-898-5124
Carole Oles, MFA in Creative Writing Coordinator at coles@csuchico.edu

copyright 1999, 2000, 2001
MFA Creative Writing Consortium, The California State University

Webmaster - Kyle McDowell, km44@mail.csuchico.edu This page was last updated on January 10th, 2002.
copyright 2002 MFA Creative Writing Consortium, California State University